Thandakaaranyam (U/A)
19/Sep/2025 Drama, Thriller 2hrs 10mins

2.50

Wasted Opportunity of a Solid Source Material.

A sensitive subject with superb potential to be an impactful socio-political drama lands just as a film with good ideas. The efficient plot-points and character arcs failed by execution, layered writing and coherence in the narrative was required.(more)

Source: Ashwin Ram, MovieCrow

2.50

Has all the right ingredients, but in the wrong proportions

Thankadakaaranyam is a sincere and honest effort that makes you care about its characters and keeps you engaged throughout. If not for the excessive melodrama and lack of finesse in the writing, perhaps it could have been a satisfying emotional drama rather than a film with the subtlety of an airpor...(more)

Source: prashanth Vallavan, CinemaExpress.com

2.50

Athiyan Athirai's arresting spiral of systemic oppression

Thandakaaranyam is anything but an easy story to tell. It�s a mountainous effort that sprawls and spreads into many things to earnestly talk about a solemn fact � the insurmountable weight of hate that rests heavily on the shoulders of some vulnerable sections of society. It is a lament that sends a...(more)

Source: BHUVANESH CHANDAR, The Hindu

3.00

A raw chapter with mixed signals

Performances mostly steady the frame. Kalaiyarasan carries the training arc with lived-in physicality, Bala Saravanan is a meek but loyal ally, and Riythvika anchors the home front. The politics, though, keep wobbling. The atrocity is clear. The film�s endorsement is not.(more)

Source: TOI, Times Of India